6WO waking up too early!!

[SaraMamma]

Hi everyone,

I've recently found this forum, after I read Tracy's BW book, which I loved!

Here is my problem...

My son is just over 6wo (7wo next Sunday), he's been following the EASY routine since day2 and recently (probably 3 weeks) I've also started to introduce some scheduled feeding time.
He sleeps quite well at night, waking up only around 2:30 am to eat and then starts fussing around 6am, although we settle him and have him start the day at 7am with “breakfast”.
The problem is that he is meant to feed every 3h15mins (approximatively) during the day, then he has his A time (which involves at least 10-15 mins of burping as he throws up all the time after feeding, sometimes a lot, no matter if I pause him for a little mid-burp while breastfeeding or not...) and then S.
Unfortunately, I can’t keep him up as much as I’d like to, because he’s started to wake up well before the end of his S time (say he should feed at 1:30pm, he wakes up around 12:20 from going down at 11:15/20am).
This then turns into a vicious circle, as he tends to fall asleep while feeding (kind of, he always finishes his feed even with closed eyes…) and especially while I burp him on the shoulder…), has maybe 30mins of A, then wants to go to sleep again (because he is tired, having woken up 1h before due time!) and wakes up earlier than planned again…
I am trying now (started today) to really annoy him while burping him.. I feel mean as, but I just don’t want him to fall asleep and have his catnap on me and disrupt his sleeping later on!
The thing is that when he wakes up before time he always looks for food (as he knows that after S comes E), so it’s quite hard to settle him back to sleep with the shhh and patting.. it sometimes takes me a good 30mins, sometimes I have to use the pacifier (which I HATE!!) or I just give up and have him up for some pre-food A. But I don’t want him to mix things up!

Any advice on what I should do?
Generally, my EASY routine is:

E- 7am - wake up and feed (he's generally a fast feeder, done and dusted in approximatively 25mins, although over the last few days he’s started feeding from both sides, 25’ on one + at least 5 on the other… yesterday he went for 40mins, first time ever!! GROWTH SPURT???)

A- 7:30-8:10 Activity involves burping, nappy change and staring/singing/playmat/…

S- 8:10-10:05 (although he lately tends to wake up at 9:30am...  )
Y- as long as he sleeps...

E- 10:15 (I wake him up -if not awake yet- a bit before feeding him to do some tummy time, as after eating is not possible due to throwing up...)
A- 10:40-11:10 (I wish he could stay up a bit longer... )
S- 11:15/20 - 1:25PM (although, as said, he tends to wake up around 12:20/30 and then it’s hard to settle him down again)
Y…
E- 4:45pm (again, if he doesn’t wake up at 3:30pm, which is when he tends to wake up… of so, I’ll stretch it as much as I can)
A-5:15-6pm or so, burping then at this time we always (weather allowing) go for a walk, so he can have a catnap in the pram if needed…
S- as said, he generally has a 15-20mins catnap in the pram during our afternoon walk
E- 6/6:15PM I top him up before night time…
A-burping, bath, change into his PJs, book if he’s not overtired (rarely)
S- 7pm generally
E-he tends to wake up once at night for feeding, at around 2:30am

Today he managed to stay up until 3pm for his afternoon sleep, I put him down at 3pm, he fell asleep around 3:30pm (I spied him), it’s 4:10pm now and he’s starting to fuss and cry… 

If you see anything wrong with what I do and would like to give me advice, I’d really appreciate it!

[Katet]

The problem is that he is meant to feed every 3h15mins (approximatively) during the day, then he has his A time

Sorry I have to laugh here... the word "meant" is possibly where the problem lies. You want him to follow the clock, he's following his hunger.  He's 6 weeks old, so the 3 hours could be anything from 2hours to 4hours. from a BTDT, it's more about the "eat activity sleep" in the first 3 months than it is about 3 or 3.15 or 3.5hours.

He could also be going through a Growth spurt etc & so it's more about following his cues than it is about looking at the clock. It's not to say you can't get the 3.15 gap, but that to expect it all the time is very unrealistic.  The fact he's only waking once in the night for a feed says he's doing really well & I know if either of my boys did that well at 6 weeks old I'd have been over the moon.  IMHO you are doing AMAZINGLY well to get that close to a routine at 6 weeks old.

[lolsyb1982]

Agree with Katet,  at 6 weeks they are still very unpredictable and I would feed by his cues rather than a strict schedule.
I think at this age if you are even loosely following an EAS pattern then you're doing well!!

[Scottishmummy]

Hi and congratulations on your new baby!

I'd agree with the others about not worrying too much about exact timings at that this stage. If you're getting an Eat, Activity, Sleep pattern, even if activity is just burping or nappy change you're following the book as best you can at this age.

I'd add re feeds...I think you're breast feeding? BF advice has changed since the books were written and Tracy Hogg sadly passed away so books haven't been updated. Advice now is to feed on demand at this age, rather than a schedule. So if you baby is hungry on waking and it's only 2hrs since last feed..or of baby has a long nap and goes over 3hrs between feeds...go with baby's cues and needs.

Also re nap length...I see you're getting around 1hr20 min on average for naps.  A baby's sleep cycles are around 30-45 mins, so if your LO has a 40min sleep cycle, your naps are 2 cycles..which is absolutely fine.

You say something about wishing your LO could stay awake for longer..again this comes with time but most babies this age can only stay awake about an hour or so from eyes open to shut (including feeding) before needing to sleep again.  Average A times- BOOKMARK ME!

As others say, you sound like you're going brilliantly. Try to relax, watch the clock less and enjoy those crazy newborn days as much as possible!

Xxx